The Singles Bar: T.I., "Love This Life"

T.I. wants you to know that you love your life because of him. Don’t unpack that statement too much. Just bask in the spoken intro and piano that introduces “Love This Life,” the first for-real single off upcoming album Trouble Man. We’ll even make it easy for you, below:

T.I. loves this life the way you’d love a chamomile-coated blanket by a fireplace: drowsily, without much movement. (The bass on the verse pulses and is an exception, but it’s sporadic.) The obvious comparison is citymate/collaborator B.o.B’s “So Good,” both in crunchy uplift and in lyrics. B.o.B might play travel agent where T.I. plays benefactor–he’s completely fine with her taking half when they divorce, and yes, this is a way he woos her–but the intent’s the same.

The crossover intent’s the same, too; both want to be “Live Your Live,” living well on both the hip-hop and pop charts. Is “Love This Life” a smidge too placid to stir up all those radio waves? Possibly. But you’re not going to take those measurements while this washes over.

The Charleston Gazette (Charleston, WV) May 26, 2006 | Meg Kinnard GREENVILLE, S.C. – South Carolina Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer, who survived a fiery plane crash this week, was in good condition despite a “fever spike” and could go home as early as today, hospital officials said.

“The medical staff is watching him closely for possible complications,” Greenville Memorial Hospital spokeswoman Robyn Zimmerman said Thursday afternoon. He was listed in good condition and had been moved out of the intensive care unit, she said.

Federal investigators were examining the wreckage but there was no immediate indication of what caused the plane to crash after striking power lines during takeoff Tuesday evening, authorities said. see here greenville memorial hospital

Bauer suffered cuts and bruises and his heel was crushed during the accident that happened in nearby Cherokee County. Doctors said repairing the foot injury would require surgery and they would wait for the swelling to go down.

Bauer had flown to Blacksburg with a friend, John Leonhardt Sr., 77, of Columbia, to attend a funeral. Both men are licensed pilots, and Bauer had purchased the Mooney M20E fixed-wing single-engine aircraft from Leonhardt a few years ago.

“He’s feeling fine,” said his grandson, 16-year-old John Leonhardt III. “He should be home soon.” Lieutenant governor candidate Mike Campbell dropped off a batch of chocolate chip cookies at the hospital Thursday for Bauer but didn’t stick around to visit, a campaign spokesman said. “He dropped them off because he didn’t want to disturb Andre’s recovery,” Adam Piper said.

Bauer faces Campbell and Dr. Henry Jordan in the Republican primary next month.

The National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the investigation into the cause of the crash, said a preliminary report would not be released until today at the earliest.

There have been reports of problems with the type of engine that was in Bauer’s plane. In March 2005, a Texas district judge signed a $96 million judgment, including $86.3 million in punitive damages, against Lycoming Engines in a legal battle over small airplane engine failures.

Plaintiffs said the case involved engine failures that occurred when the planes’ crankshafts broke in flight.

“Questioning about the engine really is pretty premature,” Peduzzi said. “We don’t know what happened in this case.” An attorney currently involved in litigation against the company that manufactures the engine used in Bauer’s plane said there is a history of malfunctions with the product.

“It almost amounts to an epidemic of problems being experienced with Textron Lycoming engines,” said Brian Alexander, an attorney with the New York-based law firm Kreindler & Kreindler.

He said his firm has dealt with many cases involving problems with Lycoming engines, which he said are “far and away the most often- used type of engine in general aviation aircraft.” Problems with the crankshaft often cause these engines to fail, Alexander said, stressing the importance of regular aircraft maintenance, including engine overhauls by mechanics trained on the particular type of engine after every 2,000 flight hours.

Alexander said it’s the manufacturer, not the federal regulators, who should be held accountable for these problems. “To their credit, the FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] has put this under the magnifying glass,” he said.

Lycoming spokeswoman Daria Fish said she had no information yet about Bauer’s crash but said her company sends an investigator to the scene whenever one of its products is involved in an accident. go to website greenville memorial hospital

Alexander said he is a pilot with 20 years of flight experience, including six years flying helicopters and planes for the U.S. Army. He said he could not tell from photographs of the crash of Bauer’s plane whether there might be a crankshaft problem.

A maintenance technician at Owens Field in Columbia, where Bauer kept his plane, said his shop never did any work on the plane, although Bauer could have had the plane serviced elsewhere.

“I’ve never met the man,” said Ted Streiby, who said he has 35 years of experience as an aircraft technician.

Streiby said he did not know of any particular problems with the Lycoming engines. “Any engine is subject to traumatic failure,” he said.

Lycoming, based in Williamsport, Pa., is a division of Avco Corp., which is affiliated with Textron Inc. of Providence, R.I.

In September 2002, the FAA ordered inspections of more than 1,000 small aircraft after engine faults were found that played a role in a Michigan plane crash that killed three people.